Arkansas
Arkansas lawmakers to tackle spending this week
Arkansas lawmakers are entering another week of the state’s fiscal session, where key decisions about how taxpayer money is spent are being made largely in budget committee meetings rather than on the House or Senate floor.During the fiscal session, lawmakers focus primarily on approving the state’s budget — deciding how money is distributed to agencies and programs that fund core services.This week, legislators are expected to work through hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, with a focus on education, health care and other essential services.Much of that work happens in the Joint Budget Committee, where lawmakers review agency requests and build the state’s spending plan before sending bills to the full House and Senate for final approval.On Tuesday, lawmakers are set to review whether the state should pay out claims and lawsuit settlements, including cases involving the Department of Corrections. They will also consider funding for several constitutional offices, including the Supreme Court, secretary of state and auditor. By Wednesday, the focus shifts to major state agencies such as the departments of health, human services and education, which fund programs like Medicaid, public health services and schools. Lawmakers will also review how federal funding is being used, including money from programs created during and after the pandemic and infrastructure investments. That includes more than $1 billion the state expects to receive over several years to support health care, particularly in rural areas.Rep. Lee Johnson, R-Greenwood and vice chair of the Joint Budget Committee, said the funding presents a significant opportunity for the state.“’One big, beautiful bill’ is bringing over $1 billion into our state over the next five years through rural health transformation funding,” Johnson said. “That’s a tremendous opportunity for us to improve health care in Arkansas.”The discussions come as Arkansas is projecting a budget surplus, shifting the debate from whether to cut spending to how to allocate additional funds.Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said lawmakers are focused on how to use that surplus while continuing efforts to attract businesses to the state.“We have money. We’re expecting a $400 million surplus this year,” Hester said. “We’re going to get the fight over what we’re going to do with the money, not what we’re going to do in an absence of money.”However, some lawmakers have raised concerns about long-term spending commitments tied to new programs.Rep. Nicole Clowney, D-Fayetteville, said decisions made during the fiscal session could have lasting financial impacts.“Once you’ve given somebody something from the government, it is very hard to take that thing away,” Clowney said. “This is going to be a long-term commitment that our state is going to be dealing with for a very long time.”Lawmakers are expected to continue working through budget items over the next several days before sending more spending bills to the full House and Senate for consideration.
Arkansas lawmakers are entering another week of the state’s fiscal session, where key decisions about how taxpayer money is spent are being made largely in budget committee meetings rather than on the House or Senate floor.
During the fiscal session, lawmakers focus primarily on approving the state’s budget — deciding how money is distributed to agencies and programs that fund core services.
This week, legislators are expected to work through hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, with a focus on education, health care and other essential services.
Much of that work happens in the Joint Budget Committee, where lawmakers review agency requests and build the state’s spending plan before sending bills to the full House and Senate for final approval.
On Tuesday, lawmakers are set to review whether the state should pay out claims and lawsuit settlements, including cases involving the Department of Corrections. They will also consider funding for several constitutional offices, including the Supreme Court, secretary of state and auditor.
By Wednesday, the focus shifts to major state agencies such as the departments of health, human services and education, which fund programs like Medicaid, public health services and schools.
Lawmakers will also review how federal funding is being used, including money from programs created during and after the pandemic and infrastructure investments. That includes more than $1 billion the state expects to receive over several years to support health care, particularly in rural areas.
Rep. Lee Johnson, R-Greenwood and vice chair of the Joint Budget Committee, said the funding presents a significant opportunity for the state.
“’One big, beautiful bill’ is bringing over $1 billion into our state over the next five years through rural health transformation funding,” Johnson said. “That’s a tremendous opportunity for us to improve health care in Arkansas.”
The discussions come as Arkansas is projecting a budget surplus, shifting the debate from whether to cut spending to how to allocate additional funds.
Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said lawmakers are focused on how to use that surplus while continuing efforts to attract businesses to the state.
“We have money. We’re expecting a $400 million surplus this year,” Hester said. “We’re going to get the fight over what we’re going to do with the money, not what we’re going to do in an absence of money.”
However, some lawmakers have raised concerns about long-term spending commitments tied to new programs.
Rep. Nicole Clowney, D-Fayetteville, said decisions made during the fiscal session could have lasting financial impacts.
“Once you’ve given somebody something from the government, it is very hard to take that thing away,” Clowney said. “This is going to be a long-term commitment that our state is going to be dealing with for a very long time.”
Lawmakers are expected to continue working through budget items over the next several days before sending more spending bills to the full House and Senate for consideration.
Arkansas turkey hunters checked 13,591 turkeys during this year’s official turkey hunting season, which ended May 10. According to historical data, this is the highest spring turkey harvest since 2006.
“Arkansas had a good amount of mature gobblers on the ground this year, thanks to conservative seasons during the last few years promoting high gobbler carryover. This was complemented by good weather two years ago that enabled the birds to take advantage of improved habitat in many pockets across the state,” said Allison Fowler, assistant chief of wildlife management with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “We also saw a change in our season structure this year that offered split opening weekends. We’re analyzing those results to see if it played a large role in the harvest.”
Although this is the highest harvest since 2006, Arkansas’s record turkey harvest was in 2003, when hunters checked 19,947 birds. A quick dive into the comparison reveals that this year’s harvest isn’t too far off that mark when accounting for a few major differences in season structure.
In 2003, hunters shot 4,610 jake turkeys. Nearly a quarter of the harvest was made up of these immature male birds. Only 15,225 mature gobblers were taken that spring.
“We established the ‘no jakes rule’ in 2011,” Fowler said. “Since then, only youth hunters can legally harvest an immature gobbler and they may only take one per season.”
Fowler said even though youth hunters can take a jake, most still opt for a mature bird if they have the choice. This year’s harvest of just over 300 jakes is a testament to that.
“We had a good amount of mature birds out there gobbling. Youths have the first shot at the birds, so we saw less than 3 percent of the harvest made up of jakes this year. That hopefully translates to decent numbers of adult gobblers available for hunters next year.”
The remaining 112 turkeys counted in the 2003 harvest were bearded hens, which were also legal to harvest at that time. The legal harvest of bearded hen turkeys was eliminated in 2021 to maximize reproductive success in Arkansas’s flock.
“Hunters really self-regulate themselves when it comes to hens, so the hen harvest never was very high, but the elimination of the bearded hen harvest reinforces the idea for hunters that their decisions in the woods matter to the population,” Fowler said. “2003 also had an earlier and longer season. Hunters had 37 days to take a bird in most of the state in 2003. This year, zones 1 and 2 were open for 21 days each, while our more restrictive zones were only open for nine days. The previous liberal structure was not favorable when poor weather during the nesting and hatching time period saw decreased reproduction success.”
Game and Fish biologists are cautiously optimistic that Arkansas’s turkey population is still in good shape following the season.
GOULD, Ark. – Officials with the Arkansas State Police said its Criminal Investigation Division is investigating after a deadly Saturday-night shooting in Gould.
Officials said deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were called to the corner of McKinley and Arkansas streets after a 911 call at 8:20 p.m. reporting gunshots where people had gathered. Arriving officers found 20-year-old Roberto Martinez Gonzalez with gunshot wounds.
Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lincoln County Coroner. Officials said his body will be taken to the state crime lab to determine the manner and cause of death.
The investigation into the death is ongoing, officials added.
Arkansas
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